In the latest season of Understood, Mumbai-based journalist Salimah Shivji examines how Modi went from being barred from the US, to becoming one of the most powerful men in the world. And asks the pressing question: what’s at stake if he wins again? Season 3: Modi's India. About Understood: Know more, now. From the fall of Sam Bankman-Fried, to the rise of Pornhub, Understood is an anthology podcast that takes you out of the daily news cycle and inside the events, people, and cultural moments yo...
May 13, 2024•35 min
If you're a sports fan, you may have noticed Saudi Arabia making billions of dollars of investments in everything from Formula 1 to professional tennis. In two high profile moves, the Saudis backed the merger of LIV Golf with the PGA tour earlier this month, and recruited soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to the Saudi Professional League for a reported $200 million a year in January. Critics say the reason for this investment in sports is "sportswashing": an intentional move to build internatio...
Jun 22, 2023•29 min
About two weeks ago, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni approved one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, despite the U.S. government and the United Nations calling the legislation a violation of universal human rights. Advocates on the ground have called it state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia. Same-sex relations have been criminalized in Uganda for years, and a similar law from 2014 was struck down. This new law goes much further. For example, the death penalty would be imposed for t...
Jun 15, 2023•28 min
The BRICS nations, a group of growing economies including: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, are reasserting themselves on the global stage. The alliance is not new, but it has gained more attention in the last year because none of the countries have taken part in sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Supporters of the BRICS alliance say a multipolar world is what's needed right now given rising geopolitical tensions, insecurity, and inequality. They are calling for...
Jun 08, 2023•27 min
Two back-to-back shootings near Belgrade, Serbia, have shocked the country. One of those was carried out by a 13-year-old student and left 10 people dead. While gun ownership is common in the country, events like this are rare. Tens of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets in protest, demanding an end to what they describe as a culture of violence in the country encouraged by both the media and far-right government officials. Analysts have also pointed to the lack of recognition around...
Jun 01, 2023•26 min
Whether it's ChatGPT, image generators like Dall-E or celebrity deepfakes, artificial intelligence technology has grown exponentially in the last few months. That has spurred a global race to be on the leading edge of those developments. While some of the best known AI chatbots and programs are coming out of the U.S. a parallel world of products has been popping up in China. Some experts say it's all happening too fast and that regulation needs to catch up but few governments have actually propo...
May 25, 2023•27 min
Over the weekend, Germany pledged an additional $4 billion Cdn of military aid to Ukraine, after a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. German defence minister Boris Pistorius said at the time: "Germany will provide all the help it can, as long as it takes." It marks a dramatic shift in the country's military policy. For decades, it has largely avoided military conflict — an approach rooted in the devastating aftermath of the Second World War. In addition to new and substantial mi...
May 18, 2023•28 min
How did Juan Guaido, Venezuela's self-declared interim leader, end up alone in the Miami airport, carrying only a backpack, seeking protection from persecution in his home country? Back in 2019, Guaido, who was then the head of Venezuela's National Assembly, challenged the Venezuelan presidency and declared himself the rightful leader after the widely disputed re-election of President Nicolás Maduro. More than 50 countries — including the U.S. and Canada — chose to back Guaido over Maduro, preci...
May 11, 2023•30 min
The coronation of King Charles III is just a couple days away and he's the first new British monarch to be crowned in 70 years. But according to recent polls, the majority of young people in the country don't seem to care for it. The royal event comes at a difficult time for the U.K. There's a cost of living crisis, strikes by health-care workers and the country is on its third prime minister in less than a year. With media estimates suggesting the coronation could cost British taxpayers 100 mil...
May 04, 2023•29 min
Two rival military generals in Sudan have been locked in a violent power struggle for the past two weeks. Hundreds are dead and thousands displaced in the North African country. Residents in the capital Khartoum have been dealing with bombardment, power cuts and shortages of food, water and medicine. Could this conflict have been avoided? Activists and analysts say the international community ignored their warnings that the clash was a long time coming. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we take a...
Apr 27, 2023•28 min
Argentina's annual inflation rate reached a staggering 104.3 per cent in March. It's one of the highest rates in the world, resulting in a cost-of-living crisis for many in the country. It's not a new problem in Argentina, where the market has been volatile for decades, especially during the 1980s debt crisis. From bartering to stocking up on goods before inflation spikes, Argentines have found inventive ways to cope with this economic reality. But there's also been growing discontent with the g...
Apr 20, 2023•28 min
This week, Northern Ireland marked the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. It concluded what was known as the Troubles: a period of conflict between 1968 and 1998, involving mainly Protestant communities, who wanted Northern Ireland to be part of the United Kingdom, and nationalist, mainly Catholic communities, who believed the region should join a united, independent Ireland. More than 3,500 people were killed. Though the peace accord largely stopped the violence in the region, many ...
Apr 13, 2023•28 min
A devastating fire at a migrant facility in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico that killed at least 40 is the latest in a string of deadly incidents that point to a worsening crisis along the southern U.S.-Mexico border. With the investigation still ongoing and families searching for answers, it's bringing attention to the growing number of migrants desperately seeking settlement in the U.S. and the dangerous conditions they find themselves in. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we discuss the aftermath of the...
Apr 06, 2023•27 min
On Tuesday another major day of action took place on the streets of France after President Emmanuel Macron’s risked his government’s future to push through a controversial raise to the retirement age for most workers. Beyond pension reform, demonstrators are fighting for their preferred way of life, defined by work-life balance and a robust social safety net. It’s one that many feel Macron has been dismantling since he was elected, with his priority of making France a more globally competitive e...
Mar 30, 2023•26 min
Clashes erupted in Pakistan last week after police attempted to arrest former prime minister Imran Khan at his home in Lahore. The former cricket star turned politician was kicked out of parliament after a no-confidence vote last April, but that hasn't stopped Khan's political supporters. Millions have attended his rallies, calling for an early election in Pakistan. That's despite the many charges he faces — from corruption, to terrorism, to rioting. Khan claims these charges are politically mot...
Mar 23, 2023•26 min
A deadly kidnapping in Matamoros, Mexico had international media breathlessly reporting every shocking twist: first, four American tourists were kidnapped, then two were murdered, and finally the cartel allegedly involved sent out a written apology letter. But for the locals of the long cartel-held city, it was business as usual except for just one thing: the Americans were actually found. We'll hear what life alongside the Gulf Cartel is really like and the complex relationship between the comm...
Mar 16, 2023•31 min
India's largest slum, Dharavi, is set for an estimated 2.4 billion dollar redevelopment headed by none other than embattled billionaire Gautam Adani and his company Adani Realty. Adani built his fortune through large industrial projects and there are concerns about the possible displacement of residents. Dharavi is home to over a million people and was famously depicted in the 2008 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Despite its many dilapidated tenements, it also houses a thriving informal ...
Mar 09, 2023•26 min
In Nigeria, the japa movement is growing. Japa is a Yoruba word that means to run away, or to flee, and it's become a shorthand way for young Nigerians to say they're leaving their home country to look for opportunities abroad. According to a recent survey by the Africa Polling Institute, 69 per cent of Nigerians would relocate if given the chance — up from 40 per cent who felt that way in 2019. This ongoing exodus of young people from the country is the backdrop of Nigeria's most recent electio...
Mar 02, 2023•27 min
Shamima Begum, a British national who left England to join ISIS forces in Syria when she was 15, lost the fight to restore her U.K. citizenship on Wednesday. Begum, who is now 23, had her citizenship stripped on national security grounds in 2019. Begum's legal team argued that she is a victim of trafficking for sexual exploitation, while Britain's Home Office argued that she was a committed ISIS volunteer. This week on Nothing is Foreign, BBC journalist Josh Baker on the many sides of Shamima Be...
Feb 23, 2023•29 min
Heat of the Moment is a podcast from Foreign Policy in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds. Hosted by CNN contributor John D Sutter, Heat of the Moment tells the stories of the people on the front lines of the fight against climate change. This episode from Season 3 explores the idea of a "just transition.” It’s a term often associated with coal miners and other fossil fuel workers whose jobs are going away as we move from fossil fuel use, but it’s a topic that’s so much bigger than th...
Feb 17, 2023•26 min
This week, the Chinese government accused the U.S of sending 10 high-altitude balloons into its airspace in the past year. This came after the U.S shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month, and amid U.S. accusations that China operates a fleet of spy balloons around the world. Both governments have denied the allegations of surveillance being levelled against them. Analysts say that these events have huge implications for the long-term relationship between the two global super...
Feb 16, 2023•34 min
For the first time in six decades, China's population shrank last year. It's resulted in growing fears around the future of the country's economy and has pushed government authorities and private companies to launch incentive programs to boost the population. Just last week, government officials in the Chinese province of Sichuan announced they would allow couples to have an unlimited number of children. It's a radical turn from the days of the one-child policy, which was in place from 1980 to 2...
Feb 09, 2023•28 min
University students across India have been protesting the government's suppression of a recently released BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It's about his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, where over a thousand people were killed, mostly Muslims. The Indian government suppressed the documentary by using emergency powers, stemming from an IT law it created in 2021 that allows for the removal of online content considered fake or false by the government, or seen as a threat to public o...
Feb 02, 2023•28 min
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine drags on, experts say Vladimir Putin is preparing to do what was once unthinkable: launch another wave of mobilization. Russian military analysts say Putin is preparing the country for a long war and needs the extra recruits. In addition, Ukrainian intelligence officials have also claimed that a second round of mobilization is imminent. But what do ordinary Russians think? This week, Nothing is Foreign speaks to a Russian man who fled when he first received his dr...
Jan 26, 2023•29 min
Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there has been a crackdown on the rights and freedoms of women in the country. Despite initially promising that a woman's right to study and work would be preserved, the Taliban has enacted policies that virtually ban women from public life. Girls are not allowed to continue their education beyond Grade 6. Afghan women have pushed back on the restrictions, and this week on Nothing is Foreign, we hear one woman's story of resistance. S...
Jan 19, 2023•28 min
On Sunday, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country's Congress. This happened just a week after the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Thousands of demonstrators crossed security barricades, smashed windows and ransacked offices. For many who follow Brazilian politics closely, this act of violence wasn't surprising. Bolsonaro supporters have been blocking highways, and camping out at military headquarters across the country, demanding that the...
Jan 12, 2023•28 min
The Indonesian parliament recently approved a law that, in part, bans sex outside of marriage, making the act punishable by a year in jail. Rights groups fear this will lead to a crackdown on dissent and privacy rights, and that it will also targets the LGBTQ community given that gay marriage is illegal in Indonesia. Today on Nothing is Foreign, we dig into what this could mean for people in Indonesia, and the growing influence of conservative Muslim values in the country. Featuring: Dede Oetomo...
Jan 05, 2023•26 min
India’s RRR, a three-hour epic that’s made 175 million dollars around the world and found a massive audience through Netflix, has just been nominated for two Golden Globes — a first for an Indian film. And with that, RRR has brought a lot of attention to Tollywood, the South Indian Telugu-language film industry from which it was made. This comes during a rough patch for Bollywood, the country’s dominant Hindi-language film industry. There have been a string of big budget flops along and a right-...
Dec 29, 2022•28 min
In many ways South Korean boy band BTS is exceptional. The group sells out stadiums around the world, and adds about $3.6 billion USD a year to their home economy. But in one crucial aspect, each of its seven members is completely ordinary. Like every young man in South Korea: they must enlist for mandatory military service before they turn 30. Last week, the oldest member of the group, Kim Seok-jin — better known as Jin — started his deployment in the county of Yeoncheon, near the North Korean ...
Dec 22, 2022•28 min
World Cup 2022 is about to wrap up this weekend, and one of the emerging storylines has been the growing solidarity between fans from different Arab nations. The success of Morocco, the first African and largely Arabic-speaking country to enter the semi-finals, is a big contributing factor to this, but many fans have also been united in their support of the Palestinian cause during the tournament. This week on Nothing is Foreign, we unpack these moments of solidarity happening between nations, a...
Dec 15, 2022•29 min
